I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at King's University College at Western University and Senior Research Affiliate with the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society (TSAS). My areas of interest include critical security studies, policing, terrorism and radicalization, sport, and law. Broadly speaking, my research focuses on how we make sense of a variety of social issues and the interventions we craft to alleviate associated harm. More specifically, I have written on Canadian and international counter-radicalization programs, the diffusion of transnational counter-terrorism policing, practices of 'scouting' high school football athletes, and constructions of national identity in response to tragedy.
I am currently working on a project entitled "How radicalization has become the dominant framework for understanding terrorism." This project is funded by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant and traces the emergence of radicalization as the primary framework for understanding transitions toward political violence. I am also working on several ongoing collaborations with a team of sociologists, criminologists, and computer scientists to develop more effective and efficient tools for detecting extremism in the online and offline spaces. My work has appeared in a number of peer-reviewed, academic journals, including Sociological Forum, Race & Class, and the Sociology of Sport Journal. I have also published in several edited volumes, including the Handbook of Social Control (Wiley), The Cambridge Handbook of Social Problems (Cambridge), and The Development of Transnational Policing: Past, Present, and Future (Routledge). I am the co-editor of Emerald's Sociology of Crime, Law, and Deviance volume (with Dr. Mathieu Deflem). I also co-host a podcast called "What's That Noise?" with my good friend and colleague Dr. Tommy Cooke (Surveillance Studies Centre at Queen's University) - you can find it on iTunes, Google Play Music, and Spotify, or simply click the link below for a sneak peak. I teach a number of courses in sociology and criminology, including introductory sociology and criminology, quantitative and qualitative research methods, sociology of sport, sociology of catastrophe, and terrorism and radicalization.
I am currently working on a project entitled "How radicalization has become the dominant framework for understanding terrorism." This project is funded by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant and traces the emergence of radicalization as the primary framework for understanding transitions toward political violence. I am also working on several ongoing collaborations with a team of sociologists, criminologists, and computer scientists to develop more effective and efficient tools for detecting extremism in the online and offline spaces. My work has appeared in a number of peer-reviewed, academic journals, including Sociological Forum, Race & Class, and the Sociology of Sport Journal. I have also published in several edited volumes, including the Handbook of Social Control (Wiley), The Cambridge Handbook of Social Problems (Cambridge), and The Development of Transnational Policing: Past, Present, and Future (Routledge). I am the co-editor of Emerald's Sociology of Crime, Law, and Deviance volume (with Dr. Mathieu Deflem). I also co-host a podcast called "What's That Noise?" with my good friend and colleague Dr. Tommy Cooke (Surveillance Studies Centre at Queen's University) - you can find it on iTunes, Google Play Music, and Spotify, or simply click the link below for a sneak peak. I teach a number of courses in sociology and criminology, including introductory sociology and criminology, quantitative and qualitative research methods, sociology of sport, sociology of catastrophe, and terrorism and radicalization.
Recent Publications
Sociology of Sport Journal / 2019
Sending Messages to 'Knuckle-Dragging Thugs': Civilizing Processes and the Biosocial Revolution in the National Hockey League (w/ Liam Kennedy)
Crime, Media, Culture / 2019
"We Are All Broncos": Hockey, Tragedy, and the Formation of Canadian Identity
Sociology of Sport Journal / 2018
In Search of a Five Star: The Centrality of Body Discourses in the Scouting of High School Football Athletes
Sending Messages to 'Knuckle-Dragging Thugs': Civilizing Processes and the Biosocial Revolution in the National Hockey League (w/ Liam Kennedy)
Crime, Media, Culture / 2019
"We Are All Broncos": Hockey, Tragedy, and the Formation of Canadian Identity
Sociology of Sport Journal / 2018
In Search of a Five Star: The Centrality of Body Discourses in the Scouting of High School Football Athletes
Sociological Forum / 2017
The Othering of Muslims: Discourses of Radicalization in the New York Times, 1969-2014
The Othering of Muslims: Discourses of Radicalization in the New York Times, 1969-2014